I agree that energy-saving measures need to be taken for the sake of our climate, but I can understand people's reluctance to undertake some of them, them, whether they are landlords or owner-occupiers,because the financial costs often don't add up.
We are extremely lucky - we live in social rented housing, and the Housing Association has in the last ten years implemented several improvements that have benefited us:
- An air-source heat system (combined with a long overdue installation of half-decent insulation that they had wrongly insisted, for over ten years, was already in place) was fitted twelve years ago.
This significantly reduced our energy bills, but we know how much it cost to install. That, plus the annual services and now, repair bills on a system that is reaching the end of its life, mean that the costs to our landlord are far higher than the initial capital outlay, and far exceed the savings to us, the tenants. .
- New double glazed windows were fitted three or four years ago. They are no better than the old ones, and so badly fitted that if we complain, they might need to be replaced, at yet more cost to our landlord.
One of our sons bought a new-build house eight years ago which has a solar panel that heats their water.
As a result, their energy bills have been low, but the annual services and multiple repairs of the system have far outweighed those savings on their energy bills.
I genuinely don't know what the answer is, but it's understandable that people are reluctant to make 'improvements' that keep on costing them way beyond the initial outlay.